Eliminating crossed timeslots interference

ABSTRACT

In an example embodiment, one or more scheduler of base stations may be configured to schedule resource blocks on a frequency band of two adjacent cells to eliminate crossed timeslots interference by selecting different starting points on the frequency band.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application is the U.S. National Stage filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371of International Application No. PCT/CN13/70374 filed on Jan. 11, 2013.The disclosure of the International Application is hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The embodiments described herein pertain generally to implementing ascheduling mechanism to eliminate crossed timeslots interference undertime-division duplexing (TDD) mode.

BACKGROUND

For TDD mode, isolation of upstream and downstream channels is realizedby time division. Crossed timeslots may cause strong interference when asame sub-frame is allocated to two different terminal devices that areboth using a same frequency band.

SUMMARY

In one example embodiment, a method may include identifying a firstwireless communication device that is within a predetermined range of anedge of a first cell and an edge of a second cell that is adjacent tothe first cell, selecting a first starting point for allocation ofresource blocks in the first cell for the first wireless communicationdevice that is different from a second starting point utilized by thesecond cell, and scheduling resource blocks for the first wirelesscommunication device by starting at the first starting point.

In another example embodiment, a computer-readable medium storinginstructions that, when executed, may cause one or more processors toperform operations comprising selecting a first starting point forallocation of resource blocks in a first cell for a first wirelesscommunication device that is different than a second starting pointutilized by a second cell that is adjacent to the first cell, andscheduling resource blocks for the first wireless communication deviceby starting at the first starting point.

In yet another example embodiment, a computer-readable medium storinginstructions that, when executed, may cause one or more processors toperform operations comprising identifying a first wireless communicationdevice and a second wireless communication device that are near an edgeof a first cell and an edge of a second cell adjacent to the first cell,selecting a first starting point for allocation of resource blocks inthe first cell for the first wireless communication device and selectinga second starting point for allocation of resource blocks in the secondcell for the second wireless communication device such that the firststarting point utilized by the first cell and the second starting pointutilized by the second cell are different, scheduling resource blocksfor the first wireless communication device by starting at the firststarting point, and scheduling resource blocks for the second wirelesscommunication device by starting at the second starting point.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the detailed description that follows, embodiments are described asillustrations only since various changes and modifications will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription. The use of the same reference numbers in different figuresindicates similar or identical items.

FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communication system in which one ormore embodiments of eliminating crossed timeslots interference may beimplemented, arranged in accordance with at least some embodimentsdescribed herein;

FIG. 2 shows an example base station by which one or more embodiments ofeliminating crossed timeslots may be implemented, arranged in accordancewith at least some embodiments described herein;

FIG. 3 shows an example scheduler by which at least portions of one ormore embodiments of eliminating crossed timeslots may be implemented,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein;

FIG. 4 shows an example configuration of a processing flow of operationsfor which embodiments of eliminating crossed timeslots may beimplemented, arranged in accordance with at least some embodimentsdescribed herein;

FIG. 5 shows an example frequency band in accordance with one or moreembodiments of eliminating crossed timeslots, arranged in accordancewith at least some embodiments described herein; and

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an example computing device bywhich various example solutions described herein may be implemented,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of the description. In thedrawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unlesscontext dictates otherwise. Furthermore, unless otherwise noted, thedescription of each successive drawing may reference features from oneor more of the previous drawings to provide clearer context and a moresubstantive explanation of the current example embodiment. Still, theexample embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, andclaims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized,and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit orscope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readilyunderstood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generallydescribed herein and illustrated in the drawings, may be arranged,substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety ofdifferent configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplatedherein.

FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communication system 100 in which oneor more embodiments of eliminating crossed timeslots interference may beimplemented, arranged in accordance with at least some embodimentsdescribed herein. As depicted, wireless communication system 100includes, at least, a cell 114 bounded by edge 110, a base station 102bounded by edge 110 within cell 114, a cell 116 bounded by edge 112, abase station 104 bounded by edge 112 within cell 116, a wirelesscommunication device 106, and a wireless communication device 108. Basestation 102 may be installed at a fixed location within the boundariesof cell 114 and, similarly, base station 104 may be installed at a fixedlocation within the boundaries of cell 116. Further, base station 102may transmit wireless signals for wireless communication device 106 whenit is located within the boundaries marked by edge 110, and, similarly,base station 104 may transmit wireless signals for wirelesscommunication device 108 when it is located within the boundaries markedby edge 112.

For example, cell 114 and cell 116 may each refer to a range of radiocoverage in a respective cellular network. Cell 114 and cell 116 mayeach be configured, by a common entity or by separate entities, toprovide wireless communication for wireless communication devicestherein, and may further be equipped with base station 102 and basestation 104 respectively. Wireless communications supported by basestation 102 and base station 104 may include any mobile communicationtechnology, e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA), etc., depending upon the technologiessupported by particular wireless service providers. For example, basestation 102 may follow protocols of GSM when base station 104 may followstandards of CDMA. Such example protocols are not intended to belimiting, and therefore should not be interpreted to be so. Each cellmay be assigned with a unique identification in the cellular network.

Base station 102 and base station 104 may each be configured to supportelectronic communication between one or more wireless communicationdevices located within a corresponding cell, e.g., wirelesscommunication device 106 and wireless communication device 108, and oneor more other wireless communication device that may be supported byanother base station disposed in another cell. Such communication may bein accordance with different wireless communication standards includingTime Division Duplexing Long Term Evolution (TDD-LTE), FrequencyDivision Duplexing FDD-LTE, IEEE 802.15.4, Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and etc.,which may further determine the work mode of the respective wirelesscommunication devices. The work modes may include time divisionduplexing mode and frequency division duplexing mode. Such examples arenot intended to be limiting, and therefore should not be interpreted tobe so.

Edge 110 and edge 112 may each define the outer boundary of a workingrange of cell 114 and cell 116, respectively. Wireless communicationdevices within the working range of base stations 102 and 104 mayreliably communicate with the respective base station. However, theworking range may not be fixed, depending on a number of factorsincluding, but not limited to, surrounding terrain, the frequency ofsignals in use, and the required data rate of the respective wirelesscommunication devices. Further, working ranges of two adjacent cells maybe overlapping. Each of the wireless communication devices within theworking range of corresponding cells may be assigned with identifiersthat indicate, at least, the cell to which it belongs.

Wireless communication device 106 and wireless communication device 108may refer to a mobile (or portable) electronic device such as a mobilephone, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA) a personal mediaplayer device, an application specific device, or a hybrid device thatincludes any of the above functions. Alternatively, at least one ofwireless communication device 106 and wireless communication device 108may be implemented as a personal computer including tablet, laptopcomputer, non-laptop computer configure configurations, etc. As depictedin FIG. 1, wireless communication device 106 and wireless communicationdevice 108 may be located in an overlapping working range of cell 114and cell 116 and may be configured to transmit signals to base station102 and base station 104 respectively.

In an example embodiment, wireless communication device 106 and wirelesscommunication device 108 may work under time-division duplexing (TDD)mode. Non-limiting examples of systems using time-division duplexingmode include UMTS 3G, TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, IEEE 802.16 WiMAX. Undertime-division duplexing mode, a time domain may be divided into severalrecurrent timeslots having a fixed length. Further, a same timeslot maybe allocated for downstream traffic and upstream traffic to differentwireless communication devices, which may further cause interferenceamong wireless communication devices. For example, therefore, whenwireless communication device 106 and wireless communication device 108are both within the overlapping area of the working ranges of cell 114and cell 116, base station 102 may allocate a timeslot to the downstreamtraffic of wireless communication device 106 while base station 104 mayallocate the same timeslot to the upstream traffic of wirelesscommunication device 108. If both the downstream link of wirelesscommunication device 106 and the upstream link of wireless communicationdevice 108 are using a same resource block (i.e., a section of bandwidthresource) it may cause interference.

Thus, FIG. 1 shows an example wireless communication system 100 in whichone or more embodiments of scheduling for eliminating crossed timeslotsmay be implemented.

FIG. 2 shows an example base station by which one or more embodiments ofeliminating crossed timeslots may be implemented, arranged in accordancewith at least some embodiments described herein. As depicted, the basestation may refer to either base station 102 or base station 104, andtherefore, unless a distinction is needed for the purpose of thedescription, reference may be made to “base station 102/104.” As furtherdepicted, base station 102/104 may include an antenna 202, a scheduler204, and a transceiver 206.

Antenna 202 may be configured to convert electric power intoelectromagnetic waves, and vice versa, and then to transmit signals forwireless communication. When transmitting radio signals, antenna 202 mayradiate energy from an oscillating radio frequency electric current aselectromagnetic waves. When receiving radio signals, antenna 202 mayintercept some of the power of electromagnetic waves to produce arelative lower voltage at its terminals, which may be further amplified.

Scheduler 204 may be configured to adopt a timeslot structure from thosedefined by wireless communication standards implemented by base station102/104. For example, 3rd Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) hasdefined seven timeslot structures for TD-LTE. Each timeslot structuredefines the upstream portions and the downstream portions within a givenperiod of time. For example, timeslot structure #1 may define the first70% of a given time period shall be used for upstream and the remaining30% shall be used for downstream. Scheduler 204 may select one of thedefined timeslot structures and further allocate timeslots of a timedomain. The base stations of two or more adjacent cells (e.g., basestation 102/104) may adopt the same timeslot structure; however, in thiscase, the frequency bandwidth resource for the two cells may not befully utilized. The base stations may also choose timeslot structuresbased on the respective upstream/downstream traffic ratio, which may,however, cause crossed timeslots interference. Further, scheduler 204may also be configured to allocate resource blocks of a frequency bandto each base station, or further, to each individual wirelesscommunication device.

Transceiver 206 may be configured to, in transmission, transform digitalor analog signals into a radio frequency electric current. In reception,transceiver 206 may be configured to transform the low voltage on theterminals of antenna 202 into digital or analog signals.

Thus, FIG. 2 shows an example base station 102/104 by which one or moreembodiments of scheduling for eliminating crossed timeslots may beimplemented.

FIG. 3 shows an example configuration 300 of scheduler 204 by which atleast portions of one or more embodiments of eliminating crossedtimeslots may be implemented, arranged in accordance with at least someembodiments described herein. As depicted, scheduler 204 may include adevice locator 302 and a resource allocator 304.

Device locator may be configured to retrieve the identificationinformation of wireless communication device 106/108 and cell 114/116and may further determine whether the respective wireless communicationdevice is within the working range of a respective one of cell 114 orcell 116. The respective one or more identifiers of wirelesscommunication device 106/108 and cell 114/116 may be transmitted toresource allocator 304.

Resource allocator 304 may be configured to eliminate interference bydispersing mapping of time frequency. That is, resource allocator 304may allocate blocks on a frequency band or timeslots on a time domain inaccordance with the retrieved identification of the respective wirelesscommunication devices retrieved by device locator 102.

In accordance with the LTE standard, individual wireless communicationdevices may be scheduled to occupy a section of sub-carrier wave of afrequency band. When wireless communication device 106 and wirelesscommunication device 108 share a same time domain (i.e., the crossedtimeslots of the adjacent base station), resource allocator 304 mayrealize dispersed mapping of frequency band by LTE scheduling algorithm.In one example embodiment, resource allocator 304 may allocate theresource blocks on a user-based scheduling algorithm by which portionsof the resource blocks may be allocated to each individual wirelesscommunication device in view of fairness. Each individual may then beallocated with one or more resource blocks proportionate to its trafficneeds. Alternatively, each individual may gain equal portions of theresource blocks. In yet another example embodiment, resource allocator304 may allocate the resource blocks based on a channel-based schedulingalgorithm (e.g., maximum carrier-to-interference scheduling) to pursuethe maximum throughput ratio of wireless communication system 100.Further, resource allocator 304 may adopt other algorithms to preventthe crossed timeslots interference instead of eliminating or mitigatingthe interference.

Thus, FIG. 3 shows an example configuration 300 of an example scheduler204 in which one or more embodiments of scheduling for eliminatingcrossed timeslots may be implemented.

FIG. 4 shows an example configuration of a processing flow 400 ofoperations for which embodiments of eliminating crossed timeslots may beimplemented, arranged in accordance with at least some embodimentsdescribed herein. As depicted, processing flow 400 may includesub-processes executed by various components that are part of wirelesscommunication system 100. However, processing flow 400 is not limited tosuch components, as obvious modification may be made by re-ordering twoor more of the sub-processes described here, eliminating at least one ofthe sub-processes, adding further sub-processes, substitutingcomponents, or even having various components assuming sub-processingroles accorded to other components in the following description.Processing flow 400 may include various operation, functions, or actionsas illustrated by one or more of blocks 402, 404, and/or 406. Processingmay begin at block 402.

Block 402 (Identify Wireless Communication Device) may refer to devicelocator 302 identifying wireless communication device 106 and wirelesscommunication device 108, and determining that wireless communicationdevice 106 and wireless communication device 108 are within apredetermined range of edge 110 of cell 114 and edge 112 of cell 116.The one or more identifiers of wireless communication device 106/108 andcell 114/116 may be transmitted to resource allocator 304. Processingmay continue from block 402 to block 404.

Block 404 (Select Starting Points for Allocation) may refer to resourceallocator 304 selecting a first starting point for allocation ofresource blocks for communication between wireless communication device106 in cell 114 and a different second starting point for allocation forcommunication between wireless communication device 108 in cell 116. Theresource blocks may be created by evenly dividing frequency band of cell114 and cell 116.

In one example embodiment, resource allocator 304 may utilize a hashingfunction to select the first starting point. The hashing function maymap an identification of cell 114 with a certain starting point of theresource block. In another example embodiment, the hashing function maymap an identification of wireless communication device 106/108 with astarting point of the resource blocks. More particularly, identificationof cell 114/116 or wireless communication device 106/108 may be utilizedas an input of the hashing function, and the output of hashing functionmay be a fixed value. For a given hash value, there may be onecorresponding input value of the hashing function. Thus, two wirelesscommunication devices or two cells may not be allocated to a sameresource block. However, in yet another example embodiment, resourceallocator 304 may simply adopt an algebraic formulation to select thefirst starting point. For example, resource allocator may select thesecond starting point with ten resource blocks away from the firststarting point. Processing may continue from block 404 to block 406.

Block 406 (Schedule Resource Blocks) may refer to resource allocator 304scheduling resource blocks for wireless communication device 106 bystarting at the first starting point. Resource allocator 304 may furtheradopt scheduling algorithms in accordance with existing wirelesscommunication standards.

Thus, FIG. 4 shows an example configuration of a processing flow 400 ofoperations for scheduling for eliminating crossed timeslots may beimplemented.

FIG. 5 shows an example frequency band 500 in accordance with one ormore embodiments of eliminating crossed timeslots, arranged inaccordance with at least some embodiments described herein. As depicted,example frequency band 500 includes a frequency band 506 and resourceblocks 502A-502N. Frequency band 506 may be used for wirelesscommunication by cell 114 and cell 116.

Frequency band 506 may represent the total bandwidth that cell 114/116may use for communication. In one example embodiment, since LTE standardadopts packet switching network based on Orthogonal Frequency-divisionMultiplexing (OFDM) technology, each wireless communication device usesa section of sub-carrier wave of a frequency band (i.e., a resourceblock). For example, when base station 102/104 is allocated with 20Mbandwidth, which is further divided into one hundred resource blocks,wireless communication devices 106/108 within the working range of thecorresponding cell share the 20M bandwidth and each device uses portionsof the total bandwidth. As to a specific wireless communication deviceallocated with 3M bandwidth, it may be allocated with 15 resourceblocks.

In at least one example embodiment, in which scheduler 204 may input theidentification of cell 114 to a hashing function; the output value(i.e., first starting point on frequency band 506) of the hashingfunction may be resource block 502A. The scheduler 204 may furtherschedule a series of resource blocks following 502A including 502B,502C, and 502D to the one or more wireless communication devices withinthe working range of cell 114. Similarly, scheduler 204 may input theidentification of cell 116 to the hashing function; the output value(i.e., the second starting point on frequency band 506) of the hashingfunction may be resource block 502E. The resources blocks after 502Eincluding 502F, 502G, and 502H may be allocated to the wirelesscommunication devices within cell 116. The wireless communicationdevices in working range of two adjacent cells may then be allocatedwith different sub-carriers of the frequency band and may work ondifferent frequencies. Thus, even when two or more wirelesscommunication devices are working in the same timeslot, the crossedtimeslots interference may be avoided.

In another example embodiment, scheduler 204 may input theidentification of wireless communication device 106 to a hashingfunction; the output value may be a specific resource block on thefrequency band, for example, 502F. In this example, wirelesscommunication device 106 may then use the frequency defined by resourceblock 502F for its communication with base station 102. Because of thedeterministic feature of hashing function, two different wirelesscommunication devices having different identifiers may always beallocated to different resource blocks (i.e., using differentfrequency). Thus, wireless communication devices within the workingrange of a same cell or within the working range of two different cellsmay avoid interfering with each other.

Thus, FIG. 5 shows an example frequency band 500 of cell 114 and cell116 in which one or more embodiments of scheduling for eliminatingcrossed timeslots may be implemented.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an example computing device bywhich various example solution described herein may be implemented,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.

More particularly, FIG. 6 shows an illustrative computing embodiment, inwhich any of the processes and sub-processes described herein may beimplemented as computer-readable instructions stored on acomputer-readable medium. The computer-readable instructions may, forexample, be executed by a processor of a device, as referenced herein,having a network element and/or any other device corresponding thereto,particularly as applicable to the applications and/or programs describedabove corresponding to the example wireless communication system.

In a very basic configuration, a computing device 600 may typicallyinclude one or more processors 604 and a system memory 606. A memory bus608 may be used for communicating between processor 604 and systemmemory 606.

Depending on the desired configuration, processor 604 may be of any typeincluding but not limited to a microprocessor (μP), a microcontroller(μC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or any combination thereof.Processor 604 may include one or more levels of caching, such as a levelone cache 610 and a level two cache 612, a processor core 614, andregisters 616. An example processor core 614 may include an arithmeticlogic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a digital signalprocessing core (DSP Core), or any combination thereof. An examplememory controller 618 may also be used with processor 604, or in someimplementations memory controller 618 may be an internal part ofprocessor 604.

Depending on the desired configuration, system memory 606 may be of anytype including but not limited to volatile memory (such as RAM),non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or any combinationthereof. System memory 606 may include an operating system 620, one ormore applications 622, and program data 624.

Application 622 may be configured to schedule to eliminate crossedtimeslots interference as described previously with respect to FIGS.1-5. Program data 624 may include a table 650, which may be useful forimplementing actuation of appropriate components or modules as describedherein.

System memory 606 is an example of computer storage media. Computerstorage media may include, but not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD)or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich may be used to store the desired information and which may beaccessed by computing device 600. Any such computer storage media may bepart of computing device 600.

The network communication link may be one example of a communicationmedia. Communication media may typically be embodied by computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other datain a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism, and may include any information delivery media. A “modulateddata signal” may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristicsset or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal.By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), microwave,infrared (IR) and other wireless media. The term computer readable mediaas used herein may include both storage media and communication media.

There is little distinction left between hardware and softwareimplementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or softwareis generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choicebetween hardware and software can become significant) a design choicerepresenting cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. There are various vehiclesby which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies describedherein may be implemented, e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware,and that the preferred vehicle may vary with the context in which theprocesses and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. Forexample, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy areparamount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmwarevehicle; if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for amainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, theimplementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/orfirmware.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments ofthe devices and/or processes for wireless communication system 100 viathe use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as suchblock diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or morefunctions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within theart that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams,flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/orcollectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, orvirtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several portionsof the subject matter described herein may be implemented viaApplication Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field ProgrammableGate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or otherintegrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognizethat some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or inpart, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one ormore computer programs running on one or more computers, e.g., as one ormore programs running on one or more computer systems, as one or moreprograms running on one or more processors, e.g., as one or moreprograms running on one or more microprocessors, as firmware, or asvirtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitryand/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be wellwithin the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure.In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that themechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that anillustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein appliesregardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used toactually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing mediuminclude, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type mediumsuch as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a CD, a DVD, a digital tape, acomputer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digitaland/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, awaveguide, a wired communications link, a wireless communication link,etc.).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the artto describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein,and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such describeddevices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at leasta portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can beintegrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount ofexperimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that atypical data processing system generally includes one or more of asystem unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatileand non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digitalsignal processors, computational entities such as operating systems,drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one ormore interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or controlsystems including feedback loops and control motors, e.g., feedback forsensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/oradjusting components and/or quantities. A typical data processing systemmay be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially availablecomponents, such as those typically found in datacomputing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactingcomponents and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactablecomponents.

Lastly, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/orsingular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate fromthe plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, termsused herein, and especially in the appended claims, e.g., bodies of theappended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms, e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc. It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an,” e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one”or “one or more;” the same holds true for the use of definite articlesused to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specificnumber of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should beinterpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the barerecitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at leasttwo recitations, or two or more recitations. Furthermore, in thoseinstances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C,etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the senseone having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “asystem having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not belimited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and Ctogether, etc. In those instances where a convention analogous to “atleast one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a constructionis intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understandthe convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” wouldinclude but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, Calone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,B, and C together, etc. It will be further understood by those withinthe art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting twoor more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, ordrawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities ofincluding one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. Forexample, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include thepossibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments ofthe present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intendedto be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims.

We claim:
 1. A method, comprising: identifying, by a base station, afirst wireless communication device that is within a range of an edge ofa first cell and an edge of a second cell that is adjacent to the firstcell; selecting, by the base station, a first starting point forallocation of resource blocks in the first cell for the first wirelesscommunication device, wherein the first starting point is different froma second starting point that is utilized by the second cell, wherein thefirst starting point is selected using a hashing function with anidentification of the first cell as an input to the hashing function,and wherein the first starting point is unique to the input of thehashing function; determining, by the base station, a plurality ofresource blocks by starting at the first starting point for allocationto a plurality of wireless communication devices in a range of the firstcell; scheduling, by the base station, at least one resource block fromthe plurality of resource blocks for the first wireless communicationdevice, and communicating with the first wireless communication devicein response to the scheduling.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein the scheduling the at least one resource block from theplurality of resource blocks comprises scheduling at least one resourceblock using the hashing function to map the identification of the firstcell with the first starting point.
 3. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein the selecting the first starting point comprises selecting thefirst starting point using a number of resource blocks.
 4. The method asrecited in claim 1, further comprising: identifying, by the basestation, a second wireless communication device within the range of theedge of the first cell and the edge of the second cell; selecting, bythe base station, the second starting point for allocation of resourceblocks in the second cell for the second wireless communication deviceto be different from the first starting point utilized by the firstcell; and determining, by the base station, another plurality ofresource blocks by starting at the second starting point for allocationto another plurality of wireless communication devices in a range of thesecond cell; and scheduling, by the base station, at least one resourceblock from the another plurality of resource blocks for the secondwireless communication device by starting at the second starting point.5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the hashing functionincludes a first hashing function, and wherein the selecting the secondstarting point comprises selecting the second starting point using asecond hashing function with an identification of the second cell as aninput to the second hashing function.
 6. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, inresponse to execution, cause one or more processors to perform orcontrol performance of operations, comprising: selecting, by a basestation, a first starting point for allocation of resource blocks in afirst cell for a first wireless communication device, wherein the firststarting point is different from a second starting point that isutilized by a second cell that is adjacent to the first cell, whereinthe first starting point is selected using a hashing function with anidentification of the first cell as an input to the hashing function,and wherein the first starting point is unique to the input of thehashing function; determining, by the base station, a plurality ofresource blocks by starting at the first starting point for allocationto a plurality of wireless communication devices in a range of the firstcell; scheduling, by the base station, at least one resource block fromthe plurality of resource blocks for the first wireless communicationdevice; and communicating with the first wireless communication devicein response to the scheduling.
 7. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium as recited in claim 6, wherein the scheduling the at least oneresource block from the plurality of resource blocks comprisesscheduling at least one resource block using the hashing function to mapthe identification of the first cell with the first starting point. 8.The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 6,wherein the selecting the first starting point comprises selecting thefirst starting point using a number of resource blocks.
 9. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 6, furthercomprising: identifying, by the base station, the first wirelesscommunication device which is within a range of an edge of the firstcell and an edge of the second cell, wherein the first wirelesscommunication device communicates in a time division duplex mode. 10.The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 6,further comprising: identifying, by the base station, a second wirelesscommunication device that is within a range of an edge of the first celland an edge of the second cell; selecting, by the base station, thesecond starting point for allocation of resource blocks in the secondcell for the second wireless communication device to be different thanthe first starting point utilized by the first cell; and determining, bythe base station, another plurality of resource blocks by starting atthe second starting point for allocation to another plurality ofwireless communication devices in a range of the second cell; andscheduling, by the base station, at least one resource block from theanother plurality of resource blocks for the second wirelesscommunication device by starting at the second starting point.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, whereinthe hashing function includes a first hashing function, and wherein theselecting the second starting point comprises selecting the secondstarting point using a second hashing function with an identification ofthe second cell as an input to the second hashing function.
 12. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereoninstructions that, in response to execution, cause one or moreprocessors to perform or control performance of operations, comprising:identifying, by a base station, a first wireless communication deviceand a second wireless communication device that are near an edge of afirst cell and an edge of a second cell adjacent to the first cell;selecting, by the base station, a first starting point for allocation ofresource blocks in the first cell for the first wireless communicationdevice, wherein the first starting point is selected using a firsthashing function with an identification of the first cell as an input tothe first hashing function; selecting a second starting point forallocation of resource blocks in the second cell for the second wirelesscommunication device, wherein the second starting point is selectedusing a second hashing function with an identification of the secondcell as an input to the second hashing function, wherein the firststarting point utilized by the first cell and the second starting pointutilized by the second cell are different, and wherein the firststarting point is unique to the input of the first hashing function;determining, by the base station, a first plurality of resource blocksby starting at the first starting point for allocation to a firstplurality of wireless communication devices in a range of the firstcell; scheduling, by the base station, at least one resource block fromthe first plurality of resource blocks for the first wirelesscommunication device; determining, by the base station, a secondplurality of resource blocks by starting at the second starting pointfor allocation to a second plurality of wireless communication devicesin a range of the second cell; scheduling, by the base station, at leastone resource block from the second plurality of resource blocks for thesecond wireless communication device; and communicating, by the basestation, with the first and second wireless communication devices inresponse to the scheduling.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium as recited in claim 12, wherein the identifying the firstwireless communication device and the second wireless device comprisesidentifying the first wireless communication device and the secondwireless device which communicate in a time division duplex mode. 14.The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12,wherein the scheduling the at least one resource block from the secondplurality of resource blocks for the second wireless communicationdevice comprises scheduling at least one resource block using the secondhashing function to map the identification of the second cell with thesecond starting point.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumas recited in claim 13, wherein the selecting the second starting pointcomprises selecting the second starting point using a number of resourceblocks.